


it’ll all... lead back  to you.

by xoxkimmiexox



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, miraculousladybug - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Sad, adrien being a sad boy, angsty, at some point, idk - Freeform, idk what im doing, im sorry, lots of baggage, marinette doing her best, this is like the first time im writing something, we love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 01:48:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15474810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxkimmiexox/pseuds/xoxkimmiexox
Summary: marinette seems so at ease when she chats with chat noir, yet is a stuttering mess with adrien. the confused blond boy is out to find the answer as to why this is, and is presented the perfect way to find out through a school project.





	it’ll all... lead back  to you.

**Author's Note:**

> i’m not really sure of what i’m doing, but i have a slight plan for this fanfiction. i’m hoping it all goes well and any readers enjoy it! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a nightly visit to Marinette’s, Adrien is left wondering something. What does Chat Noir have that Adrien doesn’t? He’s determined to find a way to figure that out.

Marinette sighed as she looked up into the sky. She observed the stars, taking in the night that was placed before her. It was a reminder of when Papa used to take her to the park and they’d sit on the grass, seeing the shapes the stars would make. Of course they never really did that anymore, Papa and Maman were ever too busy with the bakery to watch the stars with their daughter. But that was alright, she had grown accustomed with the idea that things were meant to change. As soon as Marinette spotted the big dipper, she took a deep breath in and moved her glance back down to the small table she sat near. Upon it was a small plate with two croissants and a cup of hot tea, freshly made. It was a night to calm down, to breathe. The week had been hard, a plain mess. Marinette’s online boutique had peaked, and orders were piling in quicker than she could handle. It had been a few months that the launch of ”mode fabuleuse de Marinette” was in planning, and with Alya’s final push on a very scared Marinette, it was out in the open by last week. It obviously hadn’t been long before the website was flooding with viewers, and such attention gained the designer a punch to the arm from Alya. 

“I’m always right, I knew this would be a huge success. Why don’t you trust in me more often?”

“Because there’s always a 70% chance things will go wrong if I do listen to you.”

Marinette brought herself back to the moment and chuckled at the memory. The week had been full of designing and shipping, a never ending circle. This was definitely what she needed though, a small shop to make her name known. It already brought a wide smile to Marinette’s face, imaging a buyer telling a friend about how she got her sweater at mode fabuleuse de Marinette. If things went right, she’d be a well known online shop by the end of the year. It was certain that her name going around at such a high amount would catch some large designers attention. Of course things could go a totally different path, a much worse path. One where this was the highest peak ever, and the well known existence of her shop died in a month. Never to be spoken of again, but as Alya told her, she had to think good things. She’d get the energy she put out, so she was going to put out the best energy she could.

Bringing her focus back to her midnight snack, Marinette realized her tea was on its way to getting cold surely. After taking a bite of one of the croissants on her plate, she reached over and grabbed her cup of tea. As she brought it up to drink, the girl nearly split it on herself over what she heard ever so clearly near her ear. 

“Hi there princess,”

 

Stupid, stupid, stupid cat.

“Keep sneaking up on innocent civilians, and you’ll end up with hot tea all over you one of these days, Kitty.” Marinette stated, putting her cup down. She turned her head to be greeted by vibrant green eyes, so awake that she would not be surprised if chat had chugged a red bull before his visit. 

Suddenly Marinette began worrying. What was Chat Noir doing at midnight in the town? Had Ladybug missed parole? It couldn’t have been. They went every other night, and she had been greeted by those same vibrant green eyes the previous evening. So what was this boy doing out at this hour? 

“Oh Marinette, you’re the only innocent civilian I ever sneak up on, do not worry.” Chat responded with a wink. 

”May I ask why you’re out jumping from rooftop to rooftop at midnight? Do you not sleep or something?” She questioned with a raised eyebrow, such expression gained a chuckle from chat. 

“I needed to clear my head, late runs are the best way to do so. I just thought I’d drop by, see if my sweet Marinette needed any assistance.”

“Assistance? From you, Kitty? I doubt it. You’re welcome to stay though, there’s another croissant on my plate. Had a feeling I’d make a second, perhaps fate just knew you were coming.” Marinette winked and turned the other way, back to her tea. Perhaps now that the cat was aware she was busy relaxing, no tea would be spilled. 

Chat moved from the ledge of her balcony to the seat across from her, some chair Maman bought years ago. She was so used to seeing Alya sit there, it was odd to have her partner instead. It was odd to see chat in any way while she was Marinette. After the time she had helped him as herself, he made occasional visits. They were... perhaps, you could call them friends. She was glad her Kitty wasn’t smart enough to connect the dots to how Marinette looked just like Ladybug, just without the mask. Once again caught in her thoughts, Marinette brought her attention back to reality, and noticed Chat looking back up to the stars while eating his croissant. A sight to remember, she thought. 

 

:::::::::::::

 

Now, he wasn’t sure how he had ended up there, but Adrien didn’t regret the night one bit. Perhaps it had been the fight with his father, maybe it was the surge of power he had felt as he slammed the door close afterwards. Whatever it had been, the blond boy thanked it as he opened his eyes to face his ceiling. It wasn’t a planned out decision, he hadn’t known he’d end up at the balcony of his classmate. There was no plan at all last night. Adrien simply thought he’d spend the night jumping from rooftop to another, feeling the Paris wind against his leather suit. When Chat landed on a building near the bakery, he wished he could say he thought out his decision. He wished he could say he had a good reason to land on top of Marinette’s balcony. But the silly Kitty did not. He couldn’t remember how long he had spoken to Marinette, or what they had spoken of, but he knew he must have been a while he had been sitting in the chair upon her balcony. 

It was true what he told her, he needed to clear his mind last night. He needed to escape his life, to become his alter ego. Or more so, to become himself. The true Adrien. The Adrien that wasn’t forced to be some model by his father, or forced to be the perfect guy. Chat Noir gave himself a way to be free, and the freedom was what he needed the night before. After all the yelling, the criticism, the bubbling anger. Flashes of the argument with his surfaced. Scattered “you don’t know what’s good for me”, and “stop bringing up your mother, Adrien!” At least his father knew Adrien would no longer take the pressure, toxic parenting, and restrictions. But he didn’t want to think of that right now.

Turning over, Adrien thought of the good of last night once more. In other words, Marinette. That girl was, something else. He wondered over the concept of how she stuttered, turned red, and barely looked at Adrien when they made contact. I mean, they were friends of course. It just sorta seemed as if Marinette carried some secret hate for Adrien, even after these past years. Now, with Chat Noir she was a different person. She spoke with confidence, joked with ease and sass, and never held back with her comebacks to her visitor. Adrien was kind to his friend, always on his best behavior, and Chat was a complete different story? So why did Marinette seem to prefer the cat? Perhaps she liked his alter ego, the thought made Adrien laugh. Such a comical concept would only be true in some alternative universe. As much as Adrien wished he could have stayed in that place forever, in bed thinking and analyzing Marinette, the world would never stop for Adrien’s enjoyment. It was not a surprise when Natalie knocked on Adrien’s door and told him if he got up a minute later he’d be late to school. All the assistant received was a mumble of understanding, and so forth ended Adrien’s start of the morning. 

It was most definitely a good thing that when Adrien walked into the dining room to eat his breakfast, his father was nowhere in sight. 

”He left for a few weeks for a business trip. Asks you to behave while he is gone.” Natalie’s voice echo throughout the empty room. 

Adrien nodded in response and finished up his cereal. Sadly, there were only plain honey O’s in Adrien’s bowl. Unlike the chocolate puffs Nino carried in his kitchen, or the sugary cereal Alya brought time to time to school. But Mr. Agreste would never buy such unearthly for his model of a son, nothing that would damage his body. The thought of his father's choice in food caused Adrien to look back up to the empty chair across the dining table. It was a drag that once again, his father would be less around then he usually was, but Adrien did not attempt to think too much about it. He had grown numb to the presence of the man, around or not: the difference was small. 

Adrien slid his backpack off of the chair he sat in, and slid it onto his shoulder. He asked fate to please, please, make the day an easy one. He was tired, stressed, and very not feeling like himself. Adrien pushed his chair back in and made his way out of the dining room and down the front stairs. Such a big house, such a small number of occupiers. He thought about how much money could have been saved if his father had looked into a smaller house in Paris, something more simple. But, that was simply the dream. Adrien could tell today was not going to be a good one, and nearly tripling on the way to his limo did not help, but did bring the boy back down to earth. His gorilla like driver opened his car door and Adrien slumped into his seat. As the driver started the car up, Adrien rested his head back and took a deep breath in. It had been around two years since Adrien had started going to school, and it was the best choice he had ever made. Sitting in a classroom all day made Adrien feel more human, more... normal. It sounded depressing, but it was just some sense of comfort he achieved. The friends he has made were something that reminded people care. As stupid as it sounded, yes, a famous model could feel constantly lonely. Nino was one of the best things to ever happened to Adrien. His first real friend besides Chloe, a true statement of quality over quantity though. Alya was a buy one get two package with Nino, which Adrien embraced. The girl was funnier and more cool than anyone Adrien could ever imagine. And then there was Marinette, oh Marin-

“Adrien, we have arrived.”

Looking up, Adrien noticed they had pulled up in front of the school. Now the day was really to begin. Adrien unfastened his seatbelt and slipped on his backpack’s strap. Muttering a quiet thank you, he opened his door and stepped out. The sun was covered by clouds but the weather still brought warmth. Glancing around, Adrien’s eyes landed on his group of friends. Instantly he was greeted by a wave coming from Nino, who was standing with Alya and Marinette. 

Smiling, Adrien made his way over to his friends. As he was closer to them, something made his heart beat a bit faster. As Adrien brought his focus solely to the girl he spoke to the previous night, he could not help but notice her look. Marinette had worn her hair down, and was wearing a baby pink tank top with a short white skirt with ruffles. The tank top had a small heart in the corner. It was so different, so unexpected. And holy shit, since when were Marinette’s legs so toned? Did she work out? Why did he know this? Adrien tried to think of a time she was wearing shorts during one of his visits, but the girl was always in the same pajama pants. He was, caught extremely off guard. 

Suddenly, Adrien remembered how to speak. 

“Hey guys! Hi Marinette, you look, nice today!” He spoke with a kind smile and a nervous scratch of his hand behind his neck. He really hoped he didn’t look as red as he felt. Then looking back up, he noticed that no matter how red he could look, Marinette had to be even more red she blushed a cherry shade across the bridge of her nose and fiddled with her fingers as she responded. The fiddling caught Adrien’s eyes, and as he looked down to the girl’s hands, he realized her fingernails had been painted white. This matched her outfit wonderfully and made her sense of effort even more adorable in his eyes. 

“T-t-thank you a-Adrien!” she stuttered out.

Marinette's pitch in her voice lifted as her sentence came to an end, which made Adrien chuckle and place a gentle hand upon her shoulder. 

“You’re very welcome.” He said with a wink. 

He winked.

Fuck.

A sudden realization over the fact that he was not Chat Noir right now hit. He felt instant regret. But he would not show that, he could not. After his wink, Adrien turned to his other two friends and flashed a smile, ”We should head to class, rather not be late!” he claimed nervously.”

Perhaps the sudden change of topic would divert everyone’s attention from his minor fuck up a few seconds ago. Maybe Marinette barely noticed his wink! Adrien quickly glanced back at his friend and the look on her face proved his wish incorrect. Marinette looked dumbfounded and confused, yet shocked and frozen. Still red as a cherry, or perhaps as a ladybug now. 

Nino laughed with a nod of agreement and laced his fingers with Alya. Marinette migrated over to Alya’s side, at an opposite side to Adrien. He could have sworn her face was still red, a blush that lasted that long could not have been normal. They walked up the stairs together as a group, Adrien and Nino discussing his father's disappearance and a possible sleepover. Such conversation blocked out the whispering Marinette had with Alya that Adrien chose to ignore. 

Alya and Nino’s fingers untwined as they approached their seats in class. Luckily they had got the same seating arrangement from two years ago, with Nino and Adrien on the first step together, and Marinette and Alya behind the two boys. The classroom was full of chatter up to the arrival of their teacher, who with one look had the class silent. 

Mrs. Crumble was an odd teacher. Definitely knew her shit though, and knew how to apply it. She had short grey hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore plain dresses to class every day. Adrien and Nino sometimes pondered over the theory if the professor even had legs, or if Mrs. Crumble simply floated around her desk all day. Once, Nino attempted on getting Alya to take part of their theory. Instead of a “no thank you,” the two boys had received hits to head and called childish. This never stopped their believing though one day Mrs. Crumble would reveal her floating torso, they’d tell Alya. 

The beginning of class had been quite boring, mostly review for a test that was coming up. Adrien didn’t need to listen, he was ahead of the class by chapters. He was required to learn ahead to minimize the risk of falling behind due to all his other activists going on beside school. Such circumstances brought the pro of being able to daze off whenever needed in class, because most times he wouldn’t be missing anything he didn’t already know. Going by this thought, Adrien pranced im his imagination for as long as he could. Nothing really caught Adrien’s attention until a surprise project had been announced. 

“I know it is late notice, and simply sprung upon you all. But I’m sure the projects will turn out wonderful. You all will be paired off into groups of two, from there you shall select a time period in France, and present the time period in any of your choice. Be creative my students! That’s how you will receive most credit, along with having correct information.” Mrs. Crumble told the students. “I have placed all your names into this hat, and shall pick out the teams in such way. Do not groan, cheer, or react. Please save any comments or begs of changing for after class.”

Adrien was off the walls. Maybe this could be his chance to get Marinette to like Adrien. To figure out the mystery as to why she barely spoke to him but had all ease to stay up hours with Chat Noir. Speaking of staying up, Adrien remembered that because Marinette stayed up just as late as he did, how did she not show her lack of sleep through her appearance. From what he remembered, Marinette looked quite stunning this morning, not a single sign of sleep deprivation. And so without thinking, Adrien turned around to get a good look at Marinette, and found himself making direct eye contact with a certain pair of big midnight blue eyes. The worst part (or best) is that he couldn’t pull his eyes away. He thought about how this was so awkward, but he just could not stop looking at her. Her big curious eyes, her sprinkle of freckles across his nose. Oh her nose how it scrunched up last night when Chat Noir made a comment she didn’t particularly enjoy. And there it was, her blush was slowly reforming and-

“Adrien and Marinette.”

Adrien whipped his head around ready to apologize for not focusing when he saw two slips of paper in his teachers hand. 

Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After taking some advice, messing around, and lots of editing, I can finally say this chapter is finalized! Hopefully it’s as decent as I think it is and any constructive feedback is welcomed! Chapter two coming soon!


End file.
